Sunday, September 28, 2008

Blast from the Past repost #17: Archie TMNT Classics digest #2 cover

Some of the Archie TMNT Adventures comics were reprinted in digest-sized editions. For this one, TMNT Classics Digest #2, Steve Lavigne drew this rough cover layout...

... which I referred to when I penciled the cover (below). Ryan Brown inked these pencils (I think he may have inked all of the covers I did for the Archie TMNT comics).

And here's the final cover:

It's a little weird for me to look at these covers, as -- when I did them -- I had to make myself conform to the style of the animated Turtles, i.e. no tails and eyeballs, among other things that I would not ordinarily draw when I drew the Turtles. -- PL

If there's one thing I hated about the old show, it's how they ditched the teeth half way through season 3. It always looked so damned goofy with them being angry, and all you saw was a big gappy sneer.

On the original sketch though, it has Raph in the background, Mikey on the rope, and another Turtle in the foreground. When all was said & done (Raph in the foreground, Don on rope, & Leo in back), were the changes made intentionally, or did you just draw who you felt like at the moment?

I seem to recall one letter in the comics where the tails were mistaken for something else by a very upset parent. I think I almost snorted my Hi-C I was laughing so hard. I have to admit, I do remember the archie books fondly, but the way the boys look "mirage" style is still my prefered art.

On the original sketch though, it has Raph in the background, Mikey on the rope, and another Turtle in the foreground. When all was said & done (Raph in the foreground, Don on rope, & Leo in back), were the changes made intentionally, or did you just draw who you felt like at the moment?

Either way, nice job!

~Dinoff~"

I don't really remember the exact reason for the changes, but I suspect I did it because it made more sense to me, visually. Maybe I felt it would be more dramatic if both Raph and Leo were brandishing their weapons in the foreground. -- PL

That rough layout drawing by Steve Lavigne is almost dead-on-model with the cartoon Turtles. Of course, the finished rendering is very cool.

I always liked seeing your art on the Archie covers, though I rarely read the Archie TMNT comics after the first 8 or 9 issues. I would show my dad (who was into the black and white Turtles as early as '85) -- "Dad, this is a PETER LAIRD cover!" He'd humor me and buy me two copies. One to read, "and one to keep!"

And that one set of three comics you did the covers on, where they fit together and formed a big image... Great stuff!